


In Which Tony is Soft

by patrochilles_trash



Series: The Life and Times of Peter Stark - MCU AU [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Because I hate tagging, Fluff, Kid Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, all of the fluff, if you hadn't guessed, not beta read btw, oh this is pre-iron man 1, or something, previously used tags thing, sorry - Freeform, this is honestly really sweet, tony stark is a soft dad, why doesn't ao3 have like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patrochilles_trash/pseuds/patrochilles_trash
Summary: “Daddy don’t go!” Peter wailed, the three-year-old clinging to the pant leg of his suit like his life depended on it.Tony’s heart shattered in his chest. This part never got easier, and it was why he had made the decision to work close to home and take less and less business meetings out of state and country. He hated leaving his son for any longer than he had to, and the mere idea of it did awful twisty things to his gut that he was sure his younger self would have made fun of him for.He bent down and scooped up the sobbing boy, holding him tight to his chest as the little hands grasped at the thick material of his coat, and he pressed his face into unruly curls.“Hush now, cucciolo,” he murmured softly. “I’ll be back in no time. You won’t even know that I’m gone.”Peter’s tiny body shook with uncontrollable sobs.“No!” he cried.Tony seriously considered cancelling the entire meeting in D.C. or shirking the responsibility off to Obadiah at the least.ORA quick look into the toddler years with Peter Stark. This is part of my AU, but can still technically be read as a stand-alone, but some things might not make sense.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: The Life and Times of Peter Stark - MCU AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081826
Comments: 11
Kudos: 298





	1. I'll Always Come Back to You

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back! I'm so happy that you guys like the idea of this AU, and I'm really excited to write more. I have such a soft spot for toddler Peter so I might have a couple of chapters of these. Like I said, each fic can technically read alone, but especially later on, some things might be confusing. I do have a couple of questions though!
> 
> Would you guys be interested in Stony and Parkner later on down the line? It wouldn't be crazy soon, and I still have to plan how to work it in considering I'm taking the movies and twisting them to fit my own narrative, but I'd be interested to try if that's something you all would like to see.
> 
> I'm open to any ideas and suggestions, and if you guys think of a scene or trope that you want me to cover in this fic series, let me know! 
> 
> Thanks again! Be kind to yourselves and take care!

“Daddy don’t go!” Peter wailed, the three-year-old clinging to the pant leg of his suit like his life depended on it. 

Tony’s heart shattered in his chest. This part never got easier, and it was why he had made the decision to work close to home and take less and less business meetings out of state and country. He hated leaving his son for any longer than he had to, and the mere idea of it did awful twisty things to his gut that he was sure his younger self would have made fun of him for. 

He bent down and scooped up the sobbing boy, holding him tight to his chest as the little hands grasped at the thick material of his coat, and he pressed his face into unruly curls. 

“Hush now, cucciolo,” he murmured softly. “I’ll be back in no time. You won’t even know that I’m gone.”

Peter’s tiny body shook with uncontrollable sobs. 

“No!” he cried.

Tony seriously considered cancelling the entire meeting in D.C. or shirking the responsibility off to Obadiah at the least. 

Peter had gotten Tony wrapped around his finger within the first week. Once the man had learned that the pitiful soaking bundle on his doorstep was his, it was all over. It was like something in him just clicked into place. His whole lifestyle changed almost overnight. There were no more raucous parties with drugs, alcohol, and one-night stands with both women and men alike. He drank less, went out less. His entire life started to orbit around this little boy with huge brown eyes before he even knew what was happening. 

Of course, he didn’t do it alone.

Peter took to Rhodey like a charm. He loved the colonel almost as much as he loved Tony. It also helped that Rhodey deemed himself the fun uncle within hours of meeting him and took to doting on the boy like some old southern grandmother with her first-born grandchild. 

Tony relished the sheer amount of blackmail pictures he had of the two, even if the fact that a few of those pictures became his screensaver on most of his computer screens was a secret that he would take to the grave. It didn’t matter if those around him knew he had gone soft; they didn’t need the physical proof as well. 

Pepper was the biggest surprise to Tony. While she was only his personal assistant, she took on a caring role for Peter from the first moment she saw him, there for him when Tony couldn’t be. Watching the two of them together made him realize just how important she was and just how much she held his life together by sheer force of will. 

Obadiah was someone that caused Tony to falter. He had never given any sort of inclination of ill-will toward Peter, but there was something there that he couldn’t put his finger on, and it kept him up most nights. The older man was like a mentor to him, doing everything in his power to help Tony and his company after his father died, and he loved Obadiah like family, but things started to change since Peter came along, and while Peter never showed any sort of fear or discomfort around him, he was slightly more reserved than he was around Rhodey or Pepper. Tony just chalked it up to the man’s stoic presence. 

And then there was May Parker. She was a fiery Italian woman and one of Pepper’s closest friends since childhood. There were times when Tony had to leave California for business, and Pepper, being his personal assistant, had no choice but to go with him. She had come to Tony with the idea of hiring May as their babysitter, someone that could care for his son while they were gone. He was hesitant at first, but conceded when he realized the hassle they would have to go through in finding a sitter that would keep their mouth shut. A pediatrician was hard enough, and they had to keep their mouths shut by law. Every reluctancy he might have had, was thrown out the window the second he watched May interact with Peter. They were perfect for each other, and there was no one he trusted with his son more. 

“But Aunt May is going to be here. She said she had a lot of fun things planned for you guys,” he said gently, pulling Peter back enough to look at his tear and snot covered face. 

“Don’ want Aun’ May! I wan’ daddy!” 

Peter shoved his head back into Tony’s chest, and the man shushed him again, rocking him with a slow sway. 

“Petey Pie, look at me,” Tony said, waiting until the watery brown eyes met his. “You know that I want to be here with you more than anything else in this world, right?”

A nod. 

“Good. You’re so smart, buddy, and because I know just how smart you are, you also know that sometimes daddy has go away just for a few days for work, right?”

He refused to cave when he watched Peter’s bottom lip quiver even as he nodded again.

“And you know that I’ll always come back to you, no matter what, right?”

A third and final nod, and Tony kissed Peter’s temple. 

“It’s only going to be for a few days, buddy. I promise. Then, I’ll be right back here and we can watch Disney movies and cuddle for as long as you want.”

Peter sniffled and rubbed at his face. 

“Can we watch Lion King?” he mumbled, staring up at him with pleading eyes. 

Tony’s heart did a funny little flip. He had no idea that he could love another human as much as he loved Peter. He would sign away his company, his fortune, his _life_ for this kid. 

“Anything you want, cucciolo. Anything,” he said, smiling warmly. 

Peter mirrored the smile, but a knock at his door disrupted the moment. 

“Sir, Miss Parker has arrived,” JARVIS announced. 

The boy started squirming in his arms, silently begging to be let down, and Tony chuckled. For all Peter’s crying, he was always ecstatic to see May. 

“Aun’ May!” he shrieked in joy, moving as fast as his chubby toddler legs could carry him toward the front door. 

Tony quickly strode ahead of the boy to intercept the door so he could open it. The second that he did, Peter nearly knocked May over as he launched himself at her knees. 

“Petey!” she exclaimed, her smile as bright as the sun. 

She dropped her bags and picked Peter up, spinning him in circles and sending him into a fit of laughter.

Tony just shook his head good-naturedly at the sudden change in mood. 

“How’s my favorite nephew?” she asked, setting him on the ground and crouching down to his level. 

Sure, she wasn’t his aunt by blood, but May was as good as family to both Peter and Tony. 

“We gonna play games?” Peter questioned, nearly vibrating with excitement. 

“We are absolutely going to play games! I’m going to spoil you rotten until your daddy gets back.” 

The smirk she threw in Tony’s direction told him that Peter was going to be a walking nightmare when he got home. 

“At least make sure he sleeps somewhat regularly and eats the occasional vegetable,” he said with fond exacerbation. 

“We’ll see,” she said with a wink, and Tony knew that Peter would be in good hands. He never had to worry as long as May was there. 

Peter grabbed her by the hand and immediately started dragging her inside, demanding to show her his newest creation, a rudimentary circuit board that he made with Tony’s assistance. 

The genius laughed at his son’s antics and grabbed May’s bags, bringing them further into the house for her. 

“Alright, guys. I need to get going or Pepper will leave without me,” he said, crouching low so Peter could rush at him one more time. 

And rush at him he did. Peter crashed into him and wrapped him in the tightest hug he could manage. 

“I love you, buddy. Be good for Aunt May, okay? I’ll be back soon,” he promised, squeezing his son. 

“Love you too, daddy,” Peter said, only a bit forlorn. 

Tony stood, ignoring the pain in his chest that he got every time he left his son, ruffled the boy’s hair, and stepped outside.

He knew Peter would be alright for a few days. May would keep him distracted and happy until his return. Tony just wasn’t so sure if he himself would survive three days without the ray of sunshine that was Peter Stark. 

God, the Merchant of Death really had gone soft.


	2. What Did We Learn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a teeny bit of hurt/comfort before we move on to IM1

Tony was elbow deep in the engine to his Roadster, cursing the hunk of metal. He didn’t care how beautiful the car was. It was turning into something that was more trouble than it was worth considering the amount of time he spent on repairs alone. 

The AC/DC blasting throughout the lab was a decent enough distraction from the disaster that was the spectacular failure of a business meeting from earlier that day and the damned car in front of him. He was just happy that Pepper was a saint and somehow got Peter down for his afternoon nap. 

That woman was a miracle worker. 

The three-year-old had been restless all afternoon, and Tony blamed part of it on himself. He had left early that morning and came back after lunch in a terrible mood. Even if the heart-warming chatter of his overly exuberant son boosted his spirits slightly, he still couldn’t stamp down the overwhelming irritation that threatened to rear its ugly head. He knew that his son could sense it, and he last thing he wanted to do was snap at Peter, so he kissed the boy on the forehead and locked himself in his lab, leaving the toddler in Pepper’s care. 

Tony wasn’t a perfect parent, and he had bad days, but he was still a far cry from his own father. He didn’t unleash his anger on Peter, nor did he drink in front of the boy. Sure, he still had to discipline him – Peter really was too smart for this own good sometimes – but when all was said in done, he would pull the boy into his arms and reaffirm his love and support each and every time. He refused to let Peter go to bed with any doubts or insecurities on where he stood in Tony’s life.

He really was doing his best, and quite frankly, he was proud of himself. 

That being said, there were still things about parenting that he was learning every day. 

He had his back turned the glass windows that onlooked the stairs as he hummed along to the guitar solo that threatened to rattle his ear drums, and he never saw his kid taking hesitant, unsteady steps down the too steep stairs. He didn’t hear the stumble down the last seven or so stairs either. 

Tony did, however, hear the blood-curdling scream.

He whirled around to find the source of the scream that he _knew_ belonged to Peter, slicing his arm open as he ripped it from the engine.

The bark of pain died on his lips, and Tony suddenly didn’t care about the cut on his arm as he saw Peter sitting at the bottom the stairs crying from either pain or fear. His own terror curled in his gut as he imagined the worst possible scenario, afraid that his son had been hurt. 

The genius raced to the door, nearly tripping over every box and tool that laid scattered on the floor, and flung it open. Within seconds, he was on the ground with Peter in his arms. Every book and article he had ever read on parenting told him that he shouldn’t react with fear when his kid falls, and that seemed so obvious and simple at the time. He didn’t realize that not freaking out fought against every single instinct that he had honed over three short years. 

“Oh my God, Peter, are you hurt? What were you doing going down the stairs like that all by yourself?” he managed to choke out, pulling the sobbing boy back far enough to frantically search for any injuries. 

“M-missed you, daddy,” Peter cried. 

It was a nail through Tony’s heart. 

“Baby,” he started, unable to formulate his racing thoughts into words. 

His son missed him. His three-year-old son somehow got passed the baby gate that sat at the top of the landing and braved the stairs because he _missed him_.

Tony had never felt like more of a failure in his life. Nausea accompanied the realization that he hadn’t really seen Peter all day. He had left before the boy had gotten up for the morning and only spent maybe an hour with him when he came home. 

Peter only cried harder into his chest, and Tony understood that the tears were mostly from fear of the fall. He might have some bruises, but the toddler was largely uninjured.

“Peter!” came Pepper’s panicked voice from the top of the stairs.

He spared a glance to see the woman going down the stairs two at a time to get to them, more horror and guilt on her face than he had ever seen. 

Peter didn’t look up at the sound of her voice. He just clung tighter to Tony’s grease-stained shirt. 

“Tony, I’m so sorry. I put him down for his nap, and I went down the hall for just a second, _a second_. I had no idea he got up. I-“ 

“Pepper,” he cut her off, his voice firm but not angry. “It’s okay. He’s okay. I’m not mad. It happens. I’ll just start working on Jarvis to let us know when he gets out of bed.”

He took another look at the tears welling in her own eyes. 

“It’s okay, Pep. Peter is okay, and I’m not mad. We all just had a scare. That’s all.”

Tony meant it too. He knew that it was an accident, and it was only a matter of time before Peter figured out how to silently open the baby gates. He was a genius in his own right after all.

It was just a shame he was the biggest klutz the world had ever seen. 

He turned back to his son. 

“Petey, you can’t go down the stairs by yourself like that. You could be seriously hurt,” Tony chided gently, running his fingers through Peter’s hair. 

“I-I s-sorry, daddy. Don’ be u’set,” he said shakily through his sobs. 

Tony shushed him softly. 

“No, baby. Daddy isn’t mad. I promise. You just scared me. That’s all.” 

Peter just nodded into his chest, breathing still ragged but slowly falling under control. 

“You promise that you aren’t hurt?” Tony pried, shifting until the toddler lifted his head, wanting to be completely sure. 

He nodded again. 

“Alright, now what do we say to Aunt Pepper? You gave her quite a fright just now.”

Peter turned his impossibly large eyes to the woman behind him and said with as much sincerity as a three-year-old could manage, “Sorry, Aunt Pepper.”

Pepper made a small noise in the back of her throat and lifted a hand to his cheek. 

“It’s okay, Peter. Just don’t try to run off by yourself again.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said shyly. 

Tony knew that Peter understood what he did was wrong if the kicked puppy expression was anything to go by. 

He jolted when his son suddenly gasped in alarm. 

“Daddy! Booboo!” 

Tony froze as fear ran through him like ice. Had he not noticed Peter was hurt? Was he that useless as a parent that-

A sharp sting on his arm reminded him of what he had done in his hurry to get to Peter, and relief washed over him. The cut on his forearm wasn’t that bad, and it had already started to clot. 

“Daddy is just clumsy, tesoro. I’m okay,” he reassured the boy, noticing his increasing anxiety. 

“Ban-Aid!” Peter said with a fierce expression, pointing at the wound.

Pepper didn’t even bother to stifle her smile.

“It’s not that bad, buddy. I-“

“Ban-Aid! Ban-Aid goes on booboos, daddy,” he demanded. 

Tony had to chew on the inside of his lip to hide his own smile. 

“You’re exactly right, Petey-Pie. What kind of Band-Aid should I use?” 

All of his parenting books said giving his son choices was an important part of his development, and it was something that he took very seriously.

“Ca’tain ‘Merca!” 

“Obsessed just like his dad, huh?” Pepper teased lightly, fully ignoring the half-hearted glare Tony sent her way. 

She was right though. Peter loved Captain America and had declared the long-dead war hero as his favorite superhero. It was honestly adorable, and the Halloween pictures were to die for. 

“Captain America it is, buddy. Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll even let you put it on me. How does that sound?” Tony asked, already standing with the toddler in his arms, being careful to keep the bloody side away from him. 

“Yeah!” Peter shouted in excitement, having already forgotten about his frightening tumble. 

Tony echoed his cheer and bounded up the stairs to find the stash of bandages.

He loved every second of watching Peter struggle to put a Band-Aid over a now freshly cleaned cut, and even tried to pretend to be annoyed when Pepper started snapping pictures. 

Once he was all bandaged up with more Band-Aids than strictly necessary, he decided that anything down in the lab could wait, new safety measures included. The most important thing in the world to him was currently curled up in his lap on the couch just on the edge of sleep, one of his closest friends sat on the other side of him, coming her fingers through his hair.

“Hey, Pep,” Tony whispered. “Remind me to start designing a new baby gate, one that genius toddlers can’t open.”

Pepper just chuckled softly. 

“Tony, by the time he’s grown, we’ll have an entire line of genius-level childcare products ready to sell if the weapons business ever gives out.”


End file.
